American Girl: Can't I Just Be Chloe?

When I woke up the following morning, it was at six in the morning. I quickly got ready and, upon grabbing my things from out of my room, snuck out of the house, going over to see Joe and Kyra before I left for school. I couldn’t exactly go to see Denise and Paul because Frankie was there and he didn’t exactly want to see me. Going over to see Nick and Selena was not something I wanted to do either. And, it was not because I didn’t want to see them; it was just that Nick was the one who first realized that I was in love with Frankie and I didn’t want to listen to him lecturing me about everything that happened. So, I went to see Jyra. Joe, when he opened the door to let me in, had a very grim look on his face. One look at his face told me all I needed to know. “My mom lost, huh?” I asked.

He nodded. “It’s not that simple though,” he said.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

Joe handed me the paper. “Just read it.”

I took the paper from Joe and looked at where he was pointed. I screamed when I saw what Joe was pointing at. The picture was of Craig Roberts and Victoria—his daughter—claiming victory over Rosetta Fletcher. “Please, Joe. Please tell me this isn’t true!”

“I wish I could,” Joe said.

Upon throwing the paper down, I collapsed down in tears. She was his daughter. I could not believe that Frankie would turn down the possibility of dating one Senator’s daughter for another. “Joe, I know I hate my mother being a politician, but please say that you didn’t vote for Victoria’s father. I can’t let her win. I’d rather see my mother continue her political career than let Craig Roberts take over…particularly when he’s Icky Vicky’s father.”

“We voted for your mother. All of us did. Though we all know how much you hate her being a politician, she has done good for California and we all knew that she had to be voted back into office. No one knew that Senator Fletcher’s challenger was Victoria’s father. She never told us her last name. And, even if she did, we would have voted for your mother because you’re friends with us. Victoria only entered our lives a few weeks ago,” Joe said. “If you want, you even go ask the others. They’ll all say your mom.”

“Thank, Joe,” I said, still in shock over the fact that it was Victoria’s father who just replaced my mother. And, the funny thing is that it is usually the incumbent that wins. So, how was it that Victoria Roberts had now taken my place as the Junior Senator of California’s daughter when tradition dictates that it would have been my mother to retain her Senate seat? “The good thing is that you guys stuck by me. But, what really bothers me is that it was Victoria’s father. I wonder if that had anything to go with why she’s dating Frankie.”

“It might,” Kyra said, coming in from the other room. “She could have been trying to get her father more votes. Victoria must have known that you were close to us and that dating Frankie might give her father more exposure and pull votes away from your mother, giving them to her dad. She, of course, never expected you to be so close to us…all of us. That’s where the lying came in; it was to get you away from u and give the votes to her father. That’s why Frankie quoted Take a Breath to Betsy; it was to get you away from all of us. Victoria caused that to happen so that her father would get more votes.”

“And the Video Girl thing?” I asked.

“Oh, she’s still a Video Girl,” Kyra said. “Remember, Chloe, you, me, Selena, and Betsy have been around the guys long enough to know what a Video Girl, and she definitely is one. Betsy, of all of us, knows that best. Victoria also doesn’t seem to realize how close you and Frankie really are. Yes, she was able to pull you apart for the time being, but we all know that he deeply cares for you. It’s why your mother was brought back from D.C. On some level, Frankie knows that he still cares for you, no matter what he may claim in front of everyone. In his heart, he knows full well that he still cares for you.”

“I really do hope that you’re right about that, Kyra. Frankie was the one to bring Victoria into my life. If he didn’t start dating her, I never would have known that Victoria was the daughter of my mother’s challenger. Hell, I never would have met Icky Vicky then,” I said.

“None of us would,” Joe said.

“Well, duh!” I exclaimed.

“Well, Chloe, you should probably head off to school,” Kyra said, taking the newspaper. “Just because your mother lost her seat in the Senate because of Victoria doesn’t mean that you have the right to stay home from school. Now, I’d get going if I were you.”

“I guess. But, I’m coming back here once school ends for the day. You don’t know my mom like I do. She is going to be pissed when she discovers that Victoria father took her Senate seat. Hell, she’ll be even more pissed off to discover that Frankie contacted her to come out here so that I would be forced to stay away from him in order to grant him the opportunity to spend time with his girlfriend, the daughter of my mother’s challenger,” I said as I stood up and collected my things so that I could go to school.

As I left, I knew that, after today, things were going to be different. Victoria had officially ruined my life and, the next time I saw her, I was going to strangle her. I had only just discovered that Victoria’s appearance in mine and Frankie’s life was solely so that she could get more votes for her father. That pissed me off, just as it was sure to piss my mother off when she learned the truth behind what happened. And, I knew that it was not going to be pretty.